XI’AN---Seven people died in a fire early on Wednesday morning in Xi’an, capital of Shanxi Province. A restaurant with a karaoke hall in the southern suburbs caught fire around 2 a. m. and seven waitresses who were sleeping on the second floor of the restaurant were killed. The restaurant was completely destroyed and the waitresses, the local police said, were killed by toxic smoke from burning decorations.
MANILA---Four people were killed yesterday in the central Philippine island of Tacloban when a bomb they had dug up exploded, local police were quoted as saying. The four people were digging to set up a septic（poisonous）tank in their house when they dug up the bomb. It went off, killing all four people, local police were quoted by radio station DZBB as saying. The police did not say where the bomb came from. Unexploded bombs from World War II are still discovered around the Philippines once in a while.
TEL AVIV---An Israeli couple kissed for 30 hours and 45 minutes which, a spokeswoman said yesterday, was a world record. The couple, both in their twenties, started kissing on Monday at 8:30 p.m. along with 250 other couples in a contest. “For nearly 31 hours they didn’t eat, drink, talk or even go to the bathroom. And the whole time, they were standing up”, said Arielle Goldman, who handled public relations for the event. She said a representative of the Guinness Book of World Records was on hang to witness the event, recorded on video. The previous record was 29 hour and 37 minutes, Goldman said. The winning couple received two round-the-world plane tickets and $2,500. (277 words)Which of the following statements is right?
| A．The news report didn’t mention the loss caused by the fire. |
| B．After reading the report we know how the fire broke out. |
| C．The reporter tended to think the bomb had something to do with World War II |
| D．The police refused to admit the bomb had anything to do with World War II. |
The underlined word “toxic” means _____.
| A．poisonous | B．dangerous | C．hot | D．thick |
The Israeli couple kissed for nearly 31 hours_____.
| A．to test their endurance | B．to set a new world record |
| C．to show their special love | D．to prove they are very healthy |
Why did so many couples take part in the contest?
| A．Because it was a good chance to enjoy themselves. |
| B．Because they were poor and wanted to gain the 2,500 dollars. |
| C．Because they wanted to attract people’s attention. |
| D．Because they aimed at the honor and prize. |
Wilma Subra had no intention of becoming a public speaker. After graduating from college with degrees in chemistry and microbiology, she went to work at Gulf South Research Institute in Louisiana.
As part of her job, she conducted field research on toxic (poisonous) substances in the environment, often in minority communities located near large industrial polluters. She found many families were being exposed to high, sometimes deadly levels of chemicals and other toxic substances. But she was not allowed to make her information public.
Frustrated by these restrictions, Subra left her job in 1981, created her own company and has devoted the past two decades to helping people fight back against giant industrial polluters. She works with families and community groups to conduct environmental tests, interpret test results, and organize for change.
Because of her efforts, dozens of toxic sites across the country have been cleaned up. And one chemical industry spokesperson calls her “a_top_gun” for the environmental movement.
How has Subra achieved all this? Partly through her scientific training.Partly through her commitment to environmental justice. But just as important is her ability to communicate with people through public speaking. “Public speaking，” she says, “is the primary vehicle I use for reaching people.”
If you had asked Subra before 1981 “Do you see yourself as a major public speaker？”， she would have laughed at the idea. Yet today she gives more than one hundred presentations a year. Along the way, she’s lectured at Harvard, testified before Congress, and addressed audiences in 40 states, as well as in Mexico, Canada, and Japan.What did Wilma Subra study for her job before 1981?
| A．Chemistry and microbiology. |
| B．Families affected by toxic chemicals. |
| C．Toxic substances in the environment. |
| D．Minority communities near industrial polluters. |
Why did Wilma Subra quit her job in 1981?
| A．She wanted to create her own company. |
| B．She preferred freedom to restrictions. |
| C．She hoped to work with families and communities. |
| D．She was forbidden to inform the public of toxic pollution. |
Wilma Subra is called “a top gun” in the 4th paragraph for ________．
| A．her scientific training |
| B．her efforts to fight against pollution |
| C．her help in closing down dozens of toxic sites |
| D．her strong belief in environmental justice |
What does Wilma Subra think of “public speaking”？
| A．She values it. | B．She laughs at it. |
| C．She is against it. | D．She has no idea of it. |
| Time |
Event |
Location |
Audience |
| 10：15 a．m. on Wednesday |
BABY_AND_ME Babies from birth to 18 months old and their parents/caregivers can enjoy great books, lively songs, and rhymes, and meet other babies in the neighborhood. This program is limited to 35 participants. |
Muhlenberg Library, Community Room |
Children, Infant (0－18 months) |
| 10：30 a．m. on Wednesday |
OPEN_LAB Are you having trouble with your email? Don’t know how to cut and paste? Never touched a computer? This is the time and place for you to get ahead with 21st century technology! Bring your technology questions and/or your wireless enabled device and get oneonone assistance, discover online tutorials, improve your skills, exceed the limits of your imagination！ |
St. George Library Center, TechConnect Lab |
Adults |
| 10 a．m. on Thursday |
I_NEED_A_DOCTOR:_HEALTH_INFO_ONLINE Learn to find consumer health information online, including doctors’ credentials, hospital information, drug side effects, conventional and alternative medical treatments of diseases, diets, weight loss, nutrition and exercises, and how to evaluate these websites. |
Kips Bay Library |
Adults |
| 12 noon on Thursdays |
No talking, no cell phone, and no noise are required in our quiet study room. This room is open thanks to our volunteers, and is subject to their availability. If you are interested in keeping the quiet study room open more hours, please see a staff member about becoming a volunteer! Quiet Study Hours: Mondays 12－5, Tuesdays 1－5, Wednesdays 1－5, Thursdays 12－5, Fridays 10－3, Saturdays 10－3. Subject to cancellation /change of hours without prior notice. |
67th Street Library |
50＋， Book Lovers， Business people |
Who will probably take part in the event “BABY AND ME”？
| A．Book lovers. | B．Businessmen. |
| C．Infants. | D．Adults 50＋. |
Where will you go if you want to learn about computer technology?
| A．Muhlenberg Library. | B．St. George Library Center. |
| C．Kips Bay Library. | D．67th Street Library. |
In which event can you work as a volunteer?
A. BABY AND ME.
B. OPEN LAB.
C. I NEED A DOCTOR: HEALTH INFO ONLINE.
D. QUIET STUDY ROOM.
Road rage is commonly seen or often happens in our daily lives. There have been countless stories about this new and scary phenomenon, considered a type of aggressive driving. While drunk driving remains a critical problem, the facts about aggressive driving are surely as disturbing. For instance, last year alone, 41, 907 people died on the highways. Of those deaths, it’s estimated that about two-thirds were caused at last in part by aggressive driving behavior.
Why is this phenomenon occurring more than ever now? Experts have several theories, and all are probably partially correct. One suggestion is sheer overcrowding. In the last decade, the number of cars on the roads has increased by more than 11 percent, and the number of miles driven has increased by 35 percent. However, the number of new road miles has only increased by 1 percent. That means more cars in the same amount of space; and the problem is magnified in urban areas.
Also, people have less time and more things to do. With people working and trying to fit extra chores and activities into the day, stress levels have never been higher. Stress creates anxiety, which leads to short tempers. These factors, when combined in certain stations, can spell Road Rage.
You may think you are the last person who would drive aggressively, but you might be surprised. For instance, have you ever yelled out loud at a lower driver, sounded the born long and hard at another car, or sped up to keep another driver from passing? If you recognize yourself in any of these situations, watch out!
Whether you are getting angry at other drivers, or another driver is visibly upset with you, there are things you can do to avoid any major conflict. If you are easily influenced by road rage, the key is to discharge your emotion in a healthy way. If you are the target of another driver’s rage, do everything possible to get away from the other driver safely, including avoiding eye contact and getting out of their way.Last year on the highways, .
| A．approximately two thirds of drivers were killed by road rages |
| B．road rage remained the No. 1 killer and took 41,907 people’s lives |
| C．more people were killed by aggressive driving than by drunk driving. |
| D．drunk driving was a problem more serious than aggressive driving. |
As a cause of aggressive driving, which of the following is not included?
| A．Drivers’ stress and anxiety. |
| B．Rush hour traffic. |
| C．Increasing number of cars. |
| D．Overcrowded roads. |
Which of the following shows the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．The bad results of road rage |
| B．How to discharge your emotion properly. |
| C．The practical ways to escape any fight on roads |
| D．People easily influenced by road rage |
In this information age, there are plenty of mindless activities to keep a child busy. Yet despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Alice wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition which she won last year.
As a writer, I know about winning contests---and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection letter from the publisher. I also know the pressure of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and destroyed hopes can resurface in our children.
A revelation(启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously(自发地)told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting my daughter’s experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.What do we know about the author’s own writing experience?
| A．She was constantly under pressure to write more. |
| B．Her road to success was full of pain and frustrations. |
| C．Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers. |
| D．She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer. |
Why did Alice want to enter this year’s writing contest?
| A．She wanted to share her stories with readers. |
| B．She had won a prize in the previous contest. |
| C．She believed she possessed real talent for writing. |
| D．She was sure of winning with her mother’s help. |
The underlined sentence probably means that the author was .
| A．trying not to let her daughter enjoy her own life |
| B．helping her daughter develop real skills for writing |
| C．making sure that her daughter would win the contest |
| D．trying to get her daughter to do the thing as the author wished |
What does the writer mean to tell us in the last two paragraphs?
| A．Children need more room to develop. |
| B．Parents should co-opt children’s experience. |
| C．Children should be provided enough help. |
| D．Parents need to remind their children of their own choices. |
Death is natural, but do you have any idea of the process of dying? Modern scientists divide the process of dying into two phases --- clinical or temporary death and biological death. Clinical death occurs when the vital organs, such as the heart or lungs, have ceased to function, but have not suffered permanent damage. The organism can still be revived(复活). Biological death occurs when changes in the organism lead to the “breaking up” of vital cells and tissues. Death is then unchangeable and final.
Scientists have been seeking a way to prolong the period of clinical death so that the organism can remain alive before biological death occurs. The best method developed so far involves cooling of the organism, combined with narcotic sleep. By slowing down the body’s metabolism(新陈代谢), cooling delays the processes leading to biological death.
To illustrate how this works, scientists performed an experiment on a six-year-old female monkey called Keta. The scientist put Keta to sleep with a narcotic. Then they surrounded her body with ice-bags and began checking her body temperature. When it had dropped to 28 degrees the scientists began draining blood from an artery. The monkey’s blood pressure decreased and an hour later both the heart and breathing stopped: clinical death set in. For twenty minutes Keta remained in this state. Her temperature dropped to 22 degrees. At this point the scientists pumped blood into an artery in the direction of the heart and started artificial breathing. After two minutes Keta’s heart became active once more. After fifteen minutes, spontaneous(自发的)breathing began, and after four hours Keta opened her eyes and lifted her head. After six hours, when the scientists tried to give her a penicillin injection, Keta seized the syringe and ran with it around the room. Her behavior differed little from that of a healthy animal.For a person who suffers from the clinical death
| A．his most important organs are damaged. |
| B．he still has the possibility of getting back to life. |
| C．he can not avoid final death. |
| D．he is still very much alive |
Scientists try to make the time of clinical death longer in order to
| A．slow down the body’s metabolism. |
| B．bring vital cells and tissues back to active life. |
| C．cool the organism. |
| D．delay the coming of biological death. |
How did the scientists put Keta into clinical death?
| A．By putting her to sleep, lowering her temperature and draining her blood. |
| B．By surrounding her body with ice-bags and draining her blood. |
| C．By lowing her blood pressure and stopping her heart from beating. |
| D．By draining her blood, lowering her blood pressure and stopping her breathing. |
All of the following indicate that the monkey has almost restored to her original physical state except the fact that
| A．her heart beat again. |
| B．she regained her normal breath. |
| C．she rejected a penicillin injection. |
| D．she acted as lively as a healthy monkey. |